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Altman Visits South Korea to Expand AI Chip Deals

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, surprised South Korean officials with an unannounced trip to Yongin, south of Seoul, on Saturday. He met with roughly 50 executives from Samsung’s affiliates, covering electronics, finance and biotechnology, and discussed AI developments, business opportunities and how the technology could influence corporate decision‑making. The visit also included a lunch with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae‑won and senior leaders from SK Hynix and SK Telecom, according to local reports. While the parties did not disclose specifics, they are expected to explore cooperation on AI chips and data‑center infrastructure, building on existing plans for high‑bandwidth memory supplies. OpenAI’s Stargate initiative, launched earlier this year, aims to expand AI infrastructure worldwide and has already secured agreements with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to ramp up advanced memory‑chip production. South Korea’s high AI readiness ranking and public‑private funding were cited by OpenAI as reasons for deepening its presence. Altman’s earlier October 2025 visit, where he met with President Lee Jae‑Myung and announced the Stargate partnership, set the stage for this follow‑up trip. The meetings conclude a series of engagements that reinforce the country’s role as a key partner in OpenAI’s global AI‑chip strategy.

· CNBC

The essential points

  1. 01Altman met ~50 Samsung executives in Yongin, discussing AI’s impact on corporate decision‑making.
  2. 02Lunch with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae‑won and leaders from SK Hynix and SK Telecom focused on AI‑chip and data‑center collaboration.
  3. 03OpenAI’s Stargate initiative aims to scale AI infrastructure globally, with South Korea slated for advanced memory‑chip production.
  4. 04The trip follows Altman’s October 2025 visit where he announced partnerships with Samsung and SK Group.
The full brief

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, surprised South Korean officials with an unannounced trip to Yongin, south of Seoul, on Saturday. He met with roughly 50 executives from Samsung’s affiliates, covering electronics, finance and biotechnology, and discussed AI developments, business opportunities and how the technology could influence corporate decision‑making. The visit also included a lunch with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae‑won and senior leaders from SK Hynix and SK Telecom, according to local reports.

While the parties did not disclose specifics, they are expected to explore cooperation on AI chips and data‑center infrastructure, building on existing plans for high‑bandwidth memory supplies. OpenAI’s Stargate initiative, launched earlier this year, aims to expand AI infrastructure worldwide and has already secured agreements with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to ramp up advanced memory‑chip production. South Korea’s high AI readiness ranking and public‑private funding were cited by OpenAI as reasons for deepening its presence.

Altman’s earlier October 2025 visit, where he met with President Lee Jae‑Myung and announced the Stargate partnership, set the stage for this follow‑up trip. The meetings conclude a series of engagements that reinforce the country’s role as a key partner in OpenAI’s global AI‑chip strategy.